In a classic surrealist strategy of generating a feeling of the uncanny, a headless torso with a hollow neck seems to depict a doll, while hands with gesturing fingers suggest the figure is alive. The artist built a large collection of dolls from around the world, and this figure recalls porcelain dolls of the 19th century - Wood mentioned that her mother tried to turn her into a "porcelain doll" in her youth. 

The term "Zero Hour" could refer to a short story written by Ray Bradbury, who was a writer active in Los Angeles at the same time. In Ray Bradbury's 1947 short story "Zero Hour," a seemingly innocent children's game called "Invasion" is revealed to be a real Martian invasion, with children acting as unwitting pawns to eliminate the adult population. As the day progresses, the story, told from the mother's perspective, shows her dismissing the children's talk of Martians and an alien named "Drill," only to realize their words were literal when a strange buzzing and blast signify the invasion has begun.